12 WAYS TO STAY MOTIVATED AT THE OFFICE

Some people work like bees, zooming from one meeting to the next, buzzing through tasks. And they just keep going. How do they do it? How do they never look at that overflowing inbox or crammed meeting schedule and lose the will to live? Be a bit like them with these handy strategies…

You love your job, like some of your colleagues and don’t have serious complaints about your workload or pay. There’s no real reason to feel you have no drive left and can’t get anything done.

And yet, it happens. So here are ways to get motivated again.

1. Do your best… really"Simply making the decision to do everything as well as you can (in the time available), you not only get better results, your self-respect, self-image and personal motivation skyrockets," writes Simon Reynolds, author of Why People Fail. Ignore the overachievers and slackers. Choose to be outstanding.

2. Make a To-Do ListDo it the night before or at the office before even opening your mail. Remember to tick off every completed task.

3. Ask for feedbackMake it standard practice to ask for feedback, writes creative strategist Royale Scuderi on lifehack.org. When it's positive, look for ways to improve even more. If it is negative, think what you can take from it and how you can improve. Don’t internalise what people say – they’re rating your work, not you as a person.

4. Let go what you can’t controlMoping about what you can’t change is wasting energy. Focus on what you can control.

5. Don’t forget whyWhy are you doing this? Stay in touch with what inspires you to do your work.

6. Dress for successLook like a winner and it will make you feel like one, too.

8. Mix it upStimulate different parts of the brain to recharge motivation. Do one tough thing, then an easy one and so on. You're rested in the morning, so do the hard stuff first. Leave the mindless admin for after lunch.

10. Get the balance rightYou must have time after work for your favourite things such as socialising, family time, exercise, a hobby – whatever you can look forward to. Think about that while ploughing through some soul-destroying filing, for instance.

11. Eat somethingA big lunch can make you sluggish. Snack through the day on veg and fruit, juice or nuts. Drink something refreshing and don’t forget the water.

12. Sleep (not at the office)Our internal circadian biological clocks, the National Sleep Foundation explains, regulate sleepiness and wakefulness. Your strongest sleep drive usually is from 2 to 4 a.m. and from 1 to 3 p.m. The first is fine, the second is a problem since you’re at work. What to do? Circadian dips are less intense if you get enough sleep, more intense if you don’t. Long and irregular hours disrupt your body clock, so stick to a sleeping routine.

STRETCH OUTYou weren’t built to sit in one place for hours. Walk around for five minutes after every 50 minutes behind the desk. If you can’t, do the Reverse Arch Stretch from www.spine-health.com. The "opening" feeling afterward is the direct result of increased blood flow, reduced organ system tension, enhanced spinal motion, and relaxed muscle tone. Bonus.

1. Move to the front of the chair. Interlace your fingers behind your back and feel the palms touching each other.2. Take a deep breath. Push your shoulders even further backward and let your head fall back as well.3. Exhale all the air, feeling the front of your body open up as you extend backward.4. Hold this position for a few deep breaths if it feels comfortable.5. Slowly bring your head back up to ensure that you do not strain your neck.

12 WAYS TO STAY MOTIVATED AT THE OFFICE
Reviewed by Jet Club
on
May 02, 2019
Rating: 5